Disarmament and the arms trade

SweFOR draws attention to the negative effects of Swedish arms trade and works for more restrictive Swedish rules. Our work takes place through, among other things, lobbying, the involvement of local groups and seminars.

Work in Sweden

SweFOR's observation of the Swedish and global arms trade has been going on for many years. At the end of the nineties and at the beginning of the 21st century a lot of the work was focused on the sale of JAS 39 Gripen (an airplane) to South Africa. Together with other organisations SweFOR carried out a campaign which criticised Sweden's lack of analysis of the consequences of the export of Gripen to South Africa, especially as regards the fight against poverty.

We work with several other organisations to try to ensure that Sweden
will adopt a more restrictive and more responsible arms trade.

Global Work

A great deal of the European debate on the arms trade is about the reform of the code of behaviour for arms trade, which the EU has decided upon, and also about the process towards a more integrated European defence industry. SweFOR has close contact with several different organisations and networks which have expert knowledge about these questions.

The Gothenburg Process

The churches in Sweden, together with SweFOR, have started to look a little more systematically at how ecumenical organisations and churches can take a more active part in the debate about the arms trade.

Within the framework of the Gothenburg process SweFOR, The Christian Council of Sweden, The Swedish Mission Council and the Life and Peace Institute have organised a series of international conferences. The goal is to provide a forum for an open dialogue between the producers of arms, the government's watch body and the rest of society. Two conferences have been held so far in Gothenburg in 2001 and 2004. A larger conference is planned for the autumn of 2007 in Nairobi.